jkearney@sparkstribune.net

1-17-08

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards appealed for grassroots support for a "sea wave of change" in electing him president, starting in Nevada and rippling across the nation.

Edwards joined hundreds of supporters at a town hall meeting on Wednesday at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.

"I am asking you to start a sea-wave of change in Nevada ... a wave of change with a power that literally cannot be stopped until it reaches Washington," Edwards said. "So we will be able to look our children in the eye and truthfully say that they will have a better life than we had."

On the second day of his "Standing with Working Families" tour, Edwards focused on the major concerns of many middle-class families in Nevada: debt and access to health care. During a question-and-answer session with the audience he also shared his plans and views on a variety of issues - from wide support of labor unions and offering virtually universal college education, to his unique views on illegal immigration.

Acknowledging his "underdog" status in the Democratic race for president, Edwards said grassroots efforts and broad support in Nevada could give him a real chance at the White House.

Edwards’ visit to Reno comes at a time when a recent Associated Press poll shows he is gaining strength here leading up to the Saturday caucuses. He has also has gained the support of the carpenters, steelworkers, transportation workers and communication workers unions.

In his speech on Wednesday, he strived to differentiate himself from New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

"I am the only Democratic candidate of the three who has never taken a dime from Washington lobbyists," Edwards said. "A CNN poll showed that I beat every single Republican candidate. I am committed to not having one corporate lobbyist in my White House."

Health care

Edwards formed a universal health care plan that would eliminate consideration of pre-existing medical conditions and allow employees to bring their current medical plan when changing jobs.

In Tuesday night's Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Edwards said his two competitors' campaigns are supported by a significant amount of money from drug and insurance companies.

"We don't have universal health care now because of the lobbyists for the drug and insurance companies," Edwards said. "Who will take these people on, who is independent of their donations and stands up against this and other entrenched interests? The truth is, America needs universal health care that is mandated for every man, woman and child. Insurance companies should not be in the business of making health care decisions."

Predatory lending and foreclosure protection

Edwards is seeking more regulations, oversight and stiffer penalties for fraudulent and predatory mortgage lending practices by banks.

"We need a national predatory pay day loan law, and to seriously regulate credit card companies taking advantage of Americans," Edwards said. "They'll give a credit card to a cat. We need to look after the credit interests of the people of this country."

Nevada currently has the highest home foreclosure rate in the nation. Edwards said he plans to stop foreclosures until lenders offer other options to borrowers, create a "home rescue fund" to help families pay for housing before they can receive a mortgage that is easier to handle, and give bankruptcy judges the ability to rewrite mortgages on homes, just as they would on a boat loan, for example.

“Today, too many working families in Nevada are struggling with debt and facing skyrocketing costs of everything from health care to education to gas,” Edwards said. “Meanwhile, big corporate interests are getting every break imaginable from Washington. Working families need a president who will stand up for them, not big corporate interests. I’ve been fighting these interests my entire life, and I know that together we can take our country back.”

Edwards said he is seeking more protection for credit card users - especially young spenders - and greater regulation on credit card companies. Edwards wants to end the practice of universal default and create the Family Savings and Credit Commission to go after banks and lenders that employ predatory credit practices.

Clean energy

To fight global warming, Edwards proposed to cap carbon monoxide emissions and reduce them every year. Violators will be fined, and that money will be invested in the development of infrastructure for clean renewable forms of energy, such as solar and wind power.

He proposes a ban on construction of new nuclear power plants and a moratorium on building coal-fired power plants.

"We need to change our behavior - conserve energy, drive different kinds of fuel-efficient vehicles ... and go to India and China and develop a global solution to this global problem," Edwards said.

Economics

"Trade deals where we send millions of jobs overseas so large corporations can make billions of dollars, jobs that force children to work, are complete and total insanity and must stop," Edwards said.

He said the government's "bowing down" to big profits from large corporations hurts the middle class.

Edwards wants to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9.50 an hour - raising the minimum wage by 75 cents a year until the wage reaches $9.50 in 2012, then index it according to inflation.

The candidate also promoted his $100 billion jobs package that he plans to promote in Congress.

"Exxon-Mobile made profits of $40 billion last year and the CEO of a large insurance company made $200 million - when 35 million American children, roughly the population of California - go hungry every night," Edwards said. "Enough is enough. We are better than that. It is time to stand up and speak out."

Unions

Edwards said he wants to strengthen the ability of labor unions to organize in the work place.

"It was the union movement that built up the middle class," Edwards said. "And they are crucial in order to strengthen and grow the middle class."

"College For Everyone"

Edwards is pushing for a comprehensive college-funding plan under which taxpayers would fund tuition when students commit to working at least 10 hours per week in community service projects. He expects to fund the program by cutting college funding programs that rely on banks as the "middlemen" to manage loans at a profit of between $4 billion and $5 billion.

"Students are struggling between having time to go to class and having to go to work to afford the classes, and pay for increased tuition, fees, books, rent and car insurance," said Rachel Miller, a political science major at the University of Nevada, Reno. "Under Sen. Edward's ‘College For Everyone’ plan, students will be able to pay for their classes in exchange for working 10 hours per week in public service."

Illegal immigration

Edwards said he would like to offer illegal immigrants the ability to pay a reasonable fine to become American citizens. In addition, he is pushing for all illegal immigrants to learn to speak English before they are able to secure their citizenship.

"Back on Dec. 29, 2006 - like today - I came along with so many other people who crowded into this place to see a man who has vision, courage, tenacity, and above all, has integrity," Miller said. "He's going to stand up for us and fight rather than cut a deal with big business."

Edwards rallied the crowd with his anti-war and pro-middle class rhetoric.

"I will ask America to be patriotic about something other than war," Edwards said.

Iraq War

Edwards promised he will withdraw all troops and close all permanent military bases in Iraq within the year, if elected to the presidency.

He wants to ensure the United States closes every secret prison and that torture of suspected terrorists is banned.

"Torture is never acceptable," Edwards said.

Edwards said that as president he wants to influence change in this culture's way of thinking, so that this culture prizes hard work and self-sacrifice to bring about a better life for future generations, just as his father and grandfather did for him.

"What do we need to do to meet our moral responsibility to give our children a better life than we have?" Edwards said. "My father worked in the mills for 36 years; he and my grandfather and previous generations worked hard, struggled and made many sacrifices to make a better life for their children. Our great moral test is ensuring our children and grandchildren have a better life than we did."